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As the summer finally faded away, thoughts turned to the winter bike, and making sure it was in good shape. Having suffered a fair few punctures last winter, one of my priorities this year was to minimise them this year (if not totally banish). It’s going well so far.

Getting a puncture on the commute to work has to be one of the most frustrating things. Not only are you going to be late, if it’s winter you’ve got to deal with the discomfort of having to change tubes in freezing cold, wet conditions with numb hands. I was looking for a bomb proof tyre to get me through the whole winter with no punctures, that would still feel reliable and safe in the wet, and have great rolling resistance and feel.
Not asking for much, was I?

My summer bike has been through a set of Continental GP4000S tyres, which are just phenomenal. Read my review here.

For the winter, I thought I’d step up to their big brother, the Conti Grand Prix 4 seasons. Quite simply, these are designed to be more bullet proof and last longer. They roll just as well, though are slightly heavier, so you may notice a reduction in acceleration rates. I don’t really expect to challenge any of my Strava pb’s on my winter bike anyway.

For me, this is about hassle free commuting. The Grand Prix Four seasons tyres are usually a bit more expensive than the streamlined GP4000S, but as usual the various online retailers are very competitive, leading to some great bargains. They retail at about £46 each but typically sell for between £30 and £35. Here’s a picture of them when they were brand new. Mmm, that box-fresh smell!
At the time of writing, Evans Cycles is the cheapest at just £29.99, with Wiggle just behind at £30.49. I’ve been riding on these for just under a thousand miles so far, and they’ve been totally amazing.

No punctures.

Great feel – very grippy.

Excellent rolling resistance.

This is what it looks like one thousand miles later

Take a look at the condition. That tyre has done a thousand miles and still looks new, apart from being dirty! I should point out that it’s the REAR tyre too, so if one was going to be more worn out, it would be the back, but you can see for yourself how good it still looks.

And here’s a shot of the front tyre, straight back from a ride.

Incidentally, I weigh about 70Kg, so if you’re heavier, you might expect to see greater wear and tear after 1000 miles.

As the summer finally faded away, thoughts turned to the winter bike, and making sure it was in good shape. Having suffered a fair few punctures last winter, one of my priorities this year was to minimise them this year (if not totally banish). It's going well so far. Getting a puncture on the commute to work has to be one of the most frustrating things. Not only are you going to be late, if it's winter you've got to deal with the discomfort of having to change tubes in freezing cold, wet conditions with numb hands. I was looking for…